Hiker Headlines: WTA backcountry trips, Enchantments permit lottery, sign up for Hiker Rally Day

It’s Feb 13. The Enchantments permit advanced lottery opens Feb. 15 at 7 a.m. Join WTA and the Northwest Symphony for live music and beautiful photos. We need your help to vote for a renewal of the King County Parks Levy. Join us for in Olympia on March 18 to advocate for trails and public lands! And registration for WTA’s backcountry trips is starting soon. Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.

Join WTA for a backcountry trip this summer — registration opens Feb. 22 at 10 a.m. Photo by Elizabeth Storm. 

Enchantments permits: The application period for the Enchantments permit advanced lottery starts this Saturday, Feb. 15, at 7 a.m. Applications are submitted through Recreation.gov. The application window closes on March 1 at 11:59 p.m., with results released online on March 17.

Live music and photography: Join WTA and the Northwest Symphony Orchestra (NWSO) for Crescendo: A Symphonic Celebration of Washington Landscapes on April 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle. Delight in an evening of live music paired with stunning hiker photos from WTA’s annual Northwest Exposure Photo Contest. Your ticket purchase to this joint fundraiser is an investment in WTA’s mission to mobilize everyone who loves the outdoors to explore and protect trails and public lands and in NWSO’s work to perform and promote orchestral music, especially by Northwest composers. 

Vote for more funding: In 2019, WTA hikers joined other King County residents and passed the King County Parks Levy, now 85% of King County Parks' budget. King County Executive Dow Constantine recently announced his proposal to renew the levy, which will expire this year. Pending approval by King County Council, voters will see the levy on their August ballots. Look for this chance to use your vote to fund outdoor recreation, climate resilience and forest stewardship.

Hiker Rally Day: Our state budget is the tightest it’s been since the Great Recession. WTA has a proven track record of securing funding for our state’s public lands so everyone has the ability to get outdoors. But these wins are only possible with your help. Join WTA and other hikers in Olympia on March 18 for Hiker Rally Day. We'll ask state lawmakers to protect funding for the trails and outdoor places that sustain us. Sign up before Feb. 25 to help us let legislators know constituents from your district will be present. 

WTA backcountry trips: Want to join WTA on a multiday backcountry trip this summer? Check out our backcountry preview on Feb. 14, where you can take a look at all the backcountry response team and volunteer vacation trips we’ll be heading out on from March to October. Then, if you’re hoping to join us, get your backcountry and medical history forms turned in before Feb. 22 when all backcountry trips launch at 10 a.m. Questions? Join us online for a Q&A on Feb. 19 from 6—7 p.m.

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